Corn harvester and husker.



No. 731,493. PATENTED JUNE-23, 1903. F. B. PIERGE.-

CORN HARVESTER AND HUSKER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25, 1902. N0 MODEL, 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 731,493. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903. F. B. PIERCE. CORN HARVESTER AND HUSKER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR4 25, 1902. N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 731,493. PTENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

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GGRN HARVESTER AND HUSKER.

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'ma omas paens co No. 731,493. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903.

E. B. PIERCE.

CORN HARVESTER AND HUSKER.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.. 25, 1902.

N0 MODEL. '4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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Patented rune 2a, 190e.

PATENT Prion.

FRANKLINB. PIERCE, OF RIDGEFARM, ILLINOIS.

CORN HARVESTIER AND HUSKER.

SPECIIEICATIONv forming part of Letters Patent No. 731,493, dated June 23, 1903 j Application led March 25, 1902. Serial No. 99,918. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

citizen of the United States, residing at Ridgefarm, inthe county of Vermilion and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Corn Harvester and I-Iusker, of which the following is a specification.

My invention isxan improved corn harvesting and husking machine adapted for snapping off the ears of corn from standing cornstalks in the field and husking the ears; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices hereinafter fully setV forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of a corn harvesting and husking machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the reverse side. Fig. 4 is a detail elevation showing the snapping-rolls, feeders, and the supporting-bearings therefor. Fig. 5 is a detail transverse sectional view taken on a plane indicated by the line a a of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on a plane indicated by the linemb b of Fig. 1.

The main frame 1 ishere shown as of rectangular form and is balanced and supported upon an axle-shaft 2, which is journaled. in

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bearings 8, that are here shown as secured under the central portions of the longitudinally-disposed bars 4 5 6 7, which comprise portions of the main frame. On the said axleshaft are supporting-wheels 8 9. is a traction-wheel and serves to rotate said axle-shaft when the machine is i'n motion, whereas the former is merely a supportingwheel, and may, as shown in Fig. 2, have angle-irons on its periphery, or 'they may be omitted. Y A sprocket-wheel 10, which is the master-wheel, is secured to the axle-shaft and is disposed near the outer side of the traction-wheel 9. The rear end of the drafttongue 11 is pivotally connected to 'a bearingbracket 12, which is on the upper side of the front portion of the bar 6, which bar projects forwardly of the main frame. An obliquelydisposed bar 13 has its front end pivotally connected to the tongue 11, as by the bolt 14, and its rear end secured to one of the front corners of the main frame which I will call the A segment-rack 15,

inner corner thereof.

The latter4 which is vertically disposed, is secured on the Be it known that I, FRANKLIN B. PIERCE, a-

upper side of the tongue near the rear end thereof.A A hand-lever 16 is fulcrumed to the said segment-rack and has at its lower end a forwardly-extending arm 17. An arm 18 is here shown as bolted to and extending forwardly from the bar 6. A link 19 is pivotally connected to the front end of said arm 18 and also to the front end of the arm 17 of lever 16. rlhe latter has a spring-pressed locking-dog which engages the segment-rack and by means of which the lever may be secured in any desired adjustment.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that by operating the lever 16 the main frame may be tilted or inclined, as may be desired, to raise or lower the front thereof, the front end of the draft-tongue being supported by the connections between the same and the collars on the necks of the horses. The seatsupporting bar 21 is secured on the rear end of the tongue.

The rear cross-bar 22 of the frame 1 projects from one side of the said frame and on the projecting portion of said bar are bolted or otherwise secured the rear end of a pair of forwardly-extending bars 23 24,which at their front ends carry the shoes 25 26, respectively. The said bars 23 24 are spaced a suitable distance apart to enable the shoes to be driven on opposite sides of a row of standing corn. Inclined frames are connected to and rise from the bars 23 24. Each of the said inclined frames comprises an inclined bar 27, a bracebar 28 disposed on the rear side thereof and an inclined bar 29 on the front side of and approximately parallel with the bar 27 and having a rearwardly-extending Varm 30 at'its upper end bolted or otherwise suitably connected to the bar 27, the lower ,end of the bar 29 being extended and secured to one of the bars 23 24. The said bars 27 are provided near their upper ends with bearings, as at 31, in which is. journaled a counter-shaft 32. Said counter-shaft has a sprocket-wheel 33 at its inner end, which is connected by an endless sprocket-chain 34 to the master-wheel 10 on the axle-shaft. Hence said counter-shaft 32 is caused to rotate when themachine is in motion, as will be understood. Said counter-shaft 32 is further provided near the center thereof with a beveled IOO gear-Wheel 35. Shafts 36 37 are respectively jo-urnaled in extended bearingarms with which the bearings 3l are provided and in bearings 38 on the inner sides of the .outer and inner bars 29. Said shafts 36 37are provided near their outer ends with sprocketwheels 39, and their inner ends are connected to the counter-shaft 321by pairs of ruiter-gears 40. Thereby the sprocket-wheels 39 are rotated in opposite directions by the powercommunicated thereto from the counter-shaft 32. Said sprocket-wheels are employed to drive endless traveling lifting-chains 4l, which are provided with projecting spurs 42 and engage suitable idler-wheels 43, which are suitably mounted at points about the level of the forwardly-extending portions of the bars 23 24, and the bearings of which idler-wheels are carried by said bars. The opposing inner leads of the said lifting-chains travel upwardly and aresuitably spaced apart, so that the vspurs thereof which engage the cornstalks serve, if the stalks are down, to lift the stalks in an upright position, as will be understood. The said chains 41 are disposed on the rear sides of the bars 29. The upper .ends of the inclined bars 27 are connected together by a crossbar 43a. The iuner bar 27 is in practice connected to the proximate bar 7 of the main frame 1, as at 44. A cross-bar 45 also connects the bars 27 together at a suitable distance from the upper ends thereof and is provided with bearings 46 for the upper journals of a pair of snapping-rolls 47. The lower ends of the said snapping-rolls, which are disposed at the `inclination of the bars 27, are supported by yieldable bearings 4S with which said bars are provided. The said snapping-rolls have their upper ends provided with intermeshing gears 49. One of said snappingrolls has also a beveled gear 50, which entag-es the beveled gear 35 on the counter-shaft 32,. Hence the snapping-rollsA are driven by the `power' of the said counter-shaft and are rotated in reverse directions, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. l.. The said snappingrolls are disposed a suitable distance apart to permit the cornstalks to pass between them as the machine advances, and, prefererably., the snapping-rolls are provided with peripheral longitudinal flut-es or ribs 5l, which increase the efficiency of the same in snapping off the ears of corn from the standing cornstalks.

At the lower ends of the snapping-rolls are feeders 52, which rotate therewith. feeders consist of a body portion that is essentially an axis of revolution and wings that radiate therefrom, the said wings being substantiallytruncated right-angled triangles of equal size, whereby upon the revolution of the feeders the outer edges of said feeders describe the figu re ofa truncated cone. These feeders are disposed with their axes at an angle with those of the snapping-rolls, the

The said.

axes of the feeders diverging downwardly and forwardly, and the said feeders have their journals 53 54 respectively engaged with bearings 55 and the bearings 48. The journals 54 at the upper endsof the feeders have their upper portions so fashioned that they are angular in cross-section,and the said angular portions 56 of said journals are engaged in angular sockets 57 in the lowerends of the snapping-rolls. The said sockets 57 have downwardly-converging sides to ad mit of the angular d isposition of the feeders with reference to the snapping-rolis,and said sockets and said angular portions of the upperjournals of the feeders effect flexible connections between the feeders and the snapping-rolls, so that the former are rotated by the latter. The said feeders engage the standing cornstalks inadvance of the snapping-rolls and direct the cornstalks between the snapping-rolls, and owing to the effective truncated conical form of the feeders the same assist the lifting-chains in disposing down stalks in such position that the ears will be snapped therefrom by the snappingrolls. The ribs or wings 58 of the feeders project radially therefrom, as shown, and are narrowed upwardly, thus facilitating the operation of the feeders in directing the stalks of corn between the snapping-rolls. It will be observed in Fig. 4 that the outer edges of the wings of these feeders are approximately parallel to each other on their nearer sides. This is the result to setting their axes of revolution at approximately the same angle of divergence from the axes of the snapping-rolls as the angle made by their outer edges (ifcontinued) and said axis of revolution,whereby the outer edges of said wings are approximately parallel to the axis of the snapping-rolls, as seen in plan, when nearest each other.

The counter-shaft 32 has a spur-gear 59 thereon, which is located near the sprocketwheel 33 and meshes with a spur-gear 60 on a shaft 61, which shaft has its bearings near the' upper ends of the bars 27. A pair of sprocket-wheels 62, which are secured on the shaft 6l, operate a pair of endless traveling elevator-chains 63, which are disposed near the inner side of the inner snapping-roll. The said elevator-chains engage idler-sprockets 64, which. revolve on suitable bearings, (not shown,) which are disposed on the level of the forwardly-extending portions of the bar 24. The said elevator-chains are connected together by elevator-buckets and are disposed somewhat in rear of the inner snapping-roll and parallel therewith. The lower portion of the elevator-chains extend forwardly in advance of the lower ends of the snapping-rolls, and the angles thus formed in the respective leads of the elevator-chains are engaged by suitable guides 66. The function of the said elevator chains and buckets, which are hereinafter called the elevator,

is to carry up the ears o f corn snapped from.

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the cornstalks by the snapping-rolls and deliver the ears of corn onto a husking mechanism, hereinafter described.

The shoes 25 26 are respectively formed with laterally-inclined wings 67 68, which diverge upwardly and which serve initially to direct the cornstalks into the path of the snapping-rolls and to uplift the down stalks before they are reached by the feeders at the lower ends of the snapping-rolls, the said wings, feeders, and the lifting-chains 4l, hereinbefore described, coacting to appropriately dispose the cornstalks and direct them between the snapping-rolls. The ears as they are snapped from the stalks either lodge in the buckets of the elevator or, if they slide downwardly on the rolls, are caught upon spring-supported gates 69, which are carried by the shoe 25 and project laterally across the space in front of the feeders 52 and are so disposed as to catch the ears of corn and ,deflect them laterallyinto the buckets of the elevator. The said spring-supported gates yield as they come in contact with the standing stalks ata point a slight distance above the ground and permit the cornstalks to pass them and enter the space between the snapping-rolls. The said shoes are further provided at their rear ends with fenders 70, which curve under them. The spring arms or fingers 69, which support the gates 69, are on the outer sides thereof, and the front ends of the said spring arms or fingers are supported on the bar 23, as at 691. (See Fig. 3.) One of said fenders is disposed to discharge onto the gates`69 and the other is disposed to discharge into the buckets of the elevator. Said fenders serve to catch such ears of corn as may be broken from the stalks before the latter are engaged by the snapping-rolls and cause such ears to be delivered onto the elevator, and hence carried by the latter to the husking mechanism, hereinafter described. The gates 69 overlap, as shown in Figs. l, 3, and 5 of the drawings, so that the respective upper inner edges thereof serve to direct the ears of corn over said gates onto the elevator, as will be understood.

A fender 90 is supported by the bar 27 and disposed above the snapping-roller which is farthest from the elevator to prevent ears of corn from dropping from the outer side of the said roller.

I will now describe the husking mechanism, to which the ears of corn are fed by the elevator.

A pair of boards 7l, which inclined laterally, each other and transversely with relation to the main frame l and over the latter and are supported by suitable braces 72 73, which are respectively connected to the outer bar 4. of the main frame and to the outer inclined brace-bar 2S. The said boards 7l are provided at their ends with outwardly-projecting bearings 74: 75, the latter extending beyond one side of the frame 1. The said are oppositely Vwheel 7 9.

are disposed parallel with-r boards are further provided at their ends 'with transversely-disposed bearings 76, in

which are journaled a pair of husking-rollers 77, which are supported in an inclined position, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The said husking-rollers are provided at their upper ends with intermeshing gears 78, and the shaft of one of the'husking-rollers is extended and provided with a sprocket- An endless sprocket-chain 80 connects said wheel 79 to a similar sprocketwheel 8l on the shaft 32. Hence power is communicated from the said counter-shaft 32 to the husking-rollers, and the latter are rotated in opposite directions. A shaft S2 is journaled in the bearings 74,-and the front end of said shaftis provided with a beveled pinion 83, which engages the beveled gearwheel 35 on the counter-shaft 32. Hence said shaft 82 is rotated by power communicated thereto from said counter-shaft. A pair of sprocket-Wheels 84 are secured on the shaft S2 at a suitable distance apart and within the bearings 74. A shaft 85 is journaled in the bearings 75 at the opposite end of the husking mechanism, and a pair of sprocket-wheels 86 are secured on said shaft 85 and connected by endless sprocket-chains 87 to the sprocketwheels 84 on the shaft 82. Said endless chains 87, which are carrier-chains, are disposed on the inner sides of the boards 7l, which boards form the sides of a trough, and the upper leads of the said chains operate above the husking-rollers. Said carrier-chains are connected together by flights or sweeps 86, which are transversely disposed with relation to the husking-rollers, and the said iiights or sweeps on the upper leads of the said carrier-chains move outwardly on and longitudinally of the husking-rollers to carry the husked ears and discharge them from the outer lower ends of the said husking-rollers. The board 7l,which is in front of the husking-rollers, has its upper portion disposed in such relation to the shaft 61, on which are the sprocket-wheels 62, over which the elevator passes, that the latter discharges the ears of corn from its l buckets onto the said inclined board 7l, which board deects the ears of corn and directs them onto the husking-rollers, as will be understood. Said husking-rollers are provided with intercurrent longitudinallydisposed husking-ribs 77, which serve to strip the husks from the ears of corn, as willbe understood.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. Acorn-harvestingmachinehavingapair of snapping-rolls, inclined forwardly and downwardly,

thereof revolving therewith, said feeders being of conical contour, parallel with each other at their proximate lines.

2. In a corn-harvesting machine, a pair of snapping-rolls inclined forwardly and downwardly, and a pair of feeders at the lower ends thereof revolving therewith, said feedand feeders at the lower ends ICO IIO

ers consisting essentially of body portions set at angles to the axes of the snapping-rolls and truncated triangular wings radiating from said body portions. I

3. In a corn-harvesting machine, the combination of a pair of snapping-rolls inclined forwardly and downwardly, fixed bearings for the upper ends thereof, yieldable supports for the lower ends of said rolls, and truncated conical feeders connected to the lower ends of said snapping-rolls, revoluble therewith, and having journals at their upper portions bearing in said yieldable supports.

4. InI a corn-harvesting machine, the combination ofa pair of snapping-rolls, inclined forwardly andY downwardly, a pair of truncated conical feeders, the opposing sides of which are parallel and the axes of 'which diverge forwardly, and fiexible connections between said feeders and the lower ends of said snapping-rolls.

5. In a corn-harvesting machine, the combination of a pair of snapping-rolls, inclined forwardly and downwardly, a pair of truncated conical feeders the opposing sides of which are parallel and the axes of which diverge forwardly, and angular spindle-andsocket connections between said rolls and feeders, whereby the latter arefleXibly connected to and rotate with the former.

6. In a corn-harvesting machine the combination with apair of snapping-rollsinclined forwardly and downwardly, of a pair of feeders at the lower ends thereof revolving therewith, said feeders consisting of body portions set at angles to the axes ofthe snapping-rolls and truncated triangular wings radiating from said body portions, and a husking mechanism at the rear of said snapping-rolls driven therewith.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANKLIN B. PIERCE.

Witnesses:

THOMAS MENDENHALL, FREMONT MENDENHALL. 

